Generally bathtubs are commonly used for their intended purpose—to sit in while bathing or to stand in while showering. There is, however, a segment of the population that uses the bathtub and tub area for activities other than typical bathing and showering. Some of these other activities include giving small children baths, grooming pets, and personal cleansing where it is desired that the whole body not be within the bathtub. For instance, some people cannot or should not fully sit in a bathtub, but would still like to clean their feet, legs and/or other parts of their body, such as body creases.
Additionally, those with limited physical conditions such as the elderly oftentimes need a device in addition to that provided in a standard bathroom to assist them in their use of the bathtub or shower. One such device is a handrail that is firmly attached to a wall above the bathtub that can be used for support. Such an apparatus is designed to support a user while standing in the shower or to assist them in getting up from sitting in a bathtub. A handrail can also provide support to those wishing to sit on the edge of a bathtub, but handrails are typically an expensive item that must be installed by someone with particularized knowledge. Additionally, one hand of the user must always be holding onto the handrail or the stabilizing benefit of the handrail is lost, which frustrates the function of performing actions in the bathtub.
Many bathtubs have shower doors permanently installed on the edge of the bathtub. Most shower doors include a lower rail mounted on a top surface of the edge of a bathtub. As such, it is quite painful to sit on the edge of such a bathtub having a lower rail mounted thereon because of the uneven surface caused by the rail.
Embodiments of the invention address these and other limitations of the prior art.